Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

General discussion about Marriott's GREAT AMERICA
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RLAiello
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Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by RLAiello »

I just saw this on SFGA's website and got very excited. I think I need to return to the park this year, just to see this:

Screams and Dreams: 1972-1984
Pictorium, located in Carousel Plaza (near the Columbia Carousel)
Take a look at what it takes to build a theme park from scratch. This show takes a look at Six Flags Great America from the conceptual stage in 1972 through 1984. This is a can’t miss show for theme park fans!
Show runs Late May - September 11
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by marcos »

Rick,


It is indeed a fantastic film...see the thread ""SCR*EA*MS and Dreams" premieres today" under "the GREAT AMERICA parks today" forum.


-Mark
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by jimmy gimbels »

What on earth were those folks at Six Flags thinking when they produced this mess? What a missed opportunity.

I found this film to be a major disappointment and quite the bore. Only the most die hard amusement park fanatics might find this presentation to be even remotely interesting. Six Flags has produced a 30 minute film that seems to last for hours. The public seems to hate it. Much of the audience walked out after five minutes.

What went wrong? To start, it is sooooo obvious the film was produced in house. Dreams and Screams never rises above the level of a high school video production class. Did no one notice that the opening titles are out of focus? Pacing is horrible. Sound production is laughable. Editing has no structure...but either does the film. Script development might have worked wonders. The viewer never gets the sense of the GA was designed or constructed. What we do get is a bunch of old commercials strung together and some head shots of long term GA employees with nothing of interest to contribute. Only the too-short sections about the Columbia and the Eagle rise above this disaster. And who had the idea to use the song” Mame” in the soundtrack? I hope you got the proper clearances.

Disney has produced wonderful documentaries about the design and construction of Disney World. This is probably where they lifted the idea. But the execution and vintage footage is missing in the Six Flags version.

My advice: Skip this show.

Notes to SFGA:
A. If you do not have the budget to show an IMAX film…just screen the old Warner Brother cartoons in place and burn the horrid “Dreams and Screams, Part One. This show does not attract crowds nor pleases most viewers. If you are looking for a reason to close the Pictorium due to low attendance, Dreams and Screams fit’s the bill.

B. Look at the lower right corner of the screen, you may want to try to clean the dirt smudge. And while you are at it, the carpeting could use a good shampoo.

C. You have a huge building, the Pictorium, at the front of your park and it needs painting immediately…especially the trim. While you are at it, the area around the theater is a mess. Piles of dead leaves everywhere. Did no one rake last fall? Cleanest theme park in the world? Hardly. Just take a look at the area and exterior walkways/staircases around the Pictorium.
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Mr. D.T.
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by Mr. D.T. »

I saw the video a week ago. I enjoyed it. It gives out some history of the first few years of the park in operation.

And as for "Mame", come on, it is a classic Orleans Place song from the Marriott era. The soundtracks are what made Great America Great America. So glad to have them back despite the sound quality and the songs ripped from the CD recordings instead of the original reel-to-reels. Sure hope they dig those out of the vault soon and fix it up even more.
"Park Base to Unit 100 and all base stations please be advised.....we have the 4 O'Clock 1085. A. 1.4; B. 23.5; C. 28.7; D. 5.1. The temperature is 77 degrees.
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by NotBill »

So I understand someone got sent a DVD copy of this (ahem), are they going to sell them? If not, are we going to see it posted? :P

--Guy
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by marcos »

NotBill wrote:So I understand someone got sent a DVD copy of this (ahem), are they going to sell them? If not, are we going to see it posted? :P

--Guy
Back in the late spring, I was told unofficially by the Pictorium lead that it would be available for purchase on DVD, possibly by Fright Fest. Obviously, that did not happen.

On Closing Day on Sunday, I talked to the Director of Merchandising Operations, and his response to my DVD question was "quite possibly."

Someone has made a pretty nice (unauthorized) production of it on YouTube. The narration in this version features a male with a very noticeable Chicago accent...I think I prefer the female narration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-Dv8eU0Uw


-Mark
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by WhizzerSFGAm »

^ That is the original version narrated by Dameon Nelson, the park's Director of Operations. The narration was later redone by the woman who does the recorded park announcements.
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by marcos »

WhizzerSFGAm wrote:^ That is the original version narrated by Dameon Nelson, the park's Director of Operations. The narration was later redone by the woman who does the recorded park announcements.
Good to know, thanks!

I must have seen the film close to ten times over the season, usually because I was with someone that hadn't seen it before. All I remember is the female narration. Maybe the change was made early on, and I just don't remember the original.

While the female narration sounds more polished/professional, I almost want the male narration more, now that I know it was done by someone local to the park.

Yeah, that woman's voice is all over the park...I'll bet she's a professional voiceover artist. It's okay, but a bit generic sounding. I would guess she's not from the area or affiliated with the park.

It's always nice to have some local flavor to the park, something which Six Flags doesn't do much of. The worst are the automated ride announcements after returning back to the station. The custom Demon and Viper recordings irritate me the most. The male voice is actually kind of cool and creepy sounding..."Welllcome to the Demon!" But when they end with "and enjoy the rest of your day at Six Flags!" I always yell "Great America!" at the very end, heh.

I like when the ride ops override or talk over/mute the return to the station announcements. It makes it more fun for them and everyone else, it seems. Last weekend, the lead on Viper turned the male "Welcome to Viper" recording into a quasi-rap song by repeatedly and rhythmically hitting the start/play button, haha.


-Mark
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by M-SFGreatAmerica »

If you watch the credits the Female VO is from Megan Finley. I know she does a lot for the Entertainment Department, including all of the inpark announcments. I believe she is also a Stage Manager during the summer and Witchie for Love at First Fright during Fright Fest. So rest assured, she is local.
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by Mr. D.T. »

The projector in the Pictorium cannot be considered an IMAX one, it's definitely a digital one. You can obviously tell by the picture quality.
"Park Base to Unit 100 and all base stations please be advised.....we have the 4 O'Clock 1085. A. 1.4; B. 23.5; C. 28.7; D. 5.1. The temperature is 77 degrees.
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Re: Screams and Dreams 1972-1984

Post by marcos »

Mr. D.T. wrote:The projector in the Pictorium cannot be considered an IMAX one, it's definitely a digital one. You can obviously tell by the picture quality.
No doubt!

The more stories I hear, the more I believe the IMAX equipment is gone forever, meaning it will be impossible to show anything other than standard movies...in this case, in-park productions on a standard digital projector, which don't come close to filling the entire screen, even when masked by the curtains.

At least the image is brighter this year...they must have replaced the lamp or projector; it's an improvement.


-Mark
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